The Preatures @ Sydney Opera House, Joan Sutherland Theatre 27th May, 2015
The Preatures have been consistently building their live show’s credibility since their 2013 mega hit ‘Is This How You Feel’ but even they must have been surprised to be selected as one of the few local acts to play on Vivid’s main arena.
Sure they’ve toured overseas, sold a tonne of records, and played on US television but how would the quintet stack up against names like Sufjan Stevens, Morrissey, and Grace Jones? By understanding the event’s magnitude and nailing the performance, they proved that the hype over the past eighteen months was no accident.
Singer Isabella Manfredi commanded the respect of the crowd during opener ‘Planet Blue Eyes’. Even whilst playing an angled keyboard, she was able to draw in the fans with an intense gaze. Those who saw it were transfixed and those who didn’t yearned to.
From then on, the gig was destined to be a raging success. A sound adjustment was made by third track ‘Manic Baby’ as the vocals were turned up and the drums decreased in volume. This thrust Manfredi even more into the spotlight and she revelled in it, strutting around a stage which was undoubtably larger than what the band was used to. The early worry was that The Preatures would be swallowed by the Joan Sutherland Theatre but these fears were put to rest within ten minutes of the performance.
The band addressed their room’s elephant by covering the Divinyls’ ‘Boys in Town’. This sent the crowd into rapturous applause and gave them a license for a couple of fairly lengthy ballads afterwards.
Manfredi introduced a new song and admitted that it was, “the first but hopefully not the last,” time it was played. Fans voted with their hands as they clapped and cheered the number which was more country twang than previous pop rock tracks released by the group.
This reception allowed the band to have a brief break as Manfredi changed her outfit. Gone was the black and yellow dress, and on came a white shirt and black tunic – an ensemble she wore because she could, “get this outfit dirty.”
The second act included crowd favourites ‘Ordinary’, ‘It Gets Better’ and of course, ‘Is This How You Feel?’ But it was Angels cover, ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?’ which got the crowd out of their seats and interacting with the charismatic yet intimidating lead singer.
There was a sense of relief that when ‘Take a Card’ was performed during the encore. Gideon Benson is known as Manfredi’s offsider but he took a backseat for the majority of the show to the lead guitarist Jack Moffitt. The chemistry between Manfredi and Moffitt was thick but it was Benson who drew the loudest cheer for his efforts of rhythm guitar.
‘Take a Card’ was the song which introduced The Preatures to the bulk of music fans so it is nice to know that even when they are playing at the Opera House and not, “at some 500 person club show,” (as Manfredi put it), they haven’t forgotten where it started.
A local band on their town’s most vibrant stage is stuff of fairy tales. The singer is full of sultry charm, the band is tight, and the songs strike a terrific balance between legitimate rock and catchy pop. In hindsight, the band were an obvious choice for Vivid and are a ‘must see’ band for any music fan who appreciates the value of a good show.
Photo credit: Daniel Boud
